Light in the ultraviolet (UV) range (about 10 nanometers (nm) to about 400 nm) has been used to cure diseases since the 1870's. A Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Niels Ryberg Finsen for his treatment of 300 people suffering from Lupus in Denmark. Kurt Naswitis irradiated blood with UV light through a shunt in 1922. In 1943, Emmett Knott, D. Sc was awarded U.S. Pat. No. 2,308,516, entitled “Method and Means for Irradiating Blood” which disclosed exposing blood particles to light in the ultraviolet range during transfusion therapy. These physicians, along with others over a 50 year span, performed over 300,000 clinical tests with no one dying from this treatment modality.
More recently, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center published a study entitled, “Molecular response of nasal mucosa to therapeutic exposure to broad-band ultraviolet radiation.” In this study, human nasal mucosa and skin tissue samples were exposed to UVA (about 315 nm to about 400 nm) 23.8 mw, UVB (about 280 nm to about 315 nm) 8.2 mw, and UVC (about 100 nm to about 280 nm) 2.4 mw light at 100 and 1000 microjoules/mm^2, approximately 20 to 200 times the required dose needed to kill most viruses with 254 nm wavelength light. The study concluded, “ . . . the UV induced DNA damage response of respiratory epithelia is very similar to that of the human epidermis and the nasal mucosa is able to efficiently repair UV induced DNA damage.”
Another study relating to irradiation of the nasal passage, was sponsored by New York Head & Neck Institute and Valam Corporation, is entitled “Laser Assited Treatment of Chronic Sinusitis With and Without Light Activated Agents,” and can be found at ClinicalTrials.gov, Identifier: NCT00948519. This study used NIR range laser light, to treat Rhinosinusitis, at levels 1000 to 10,000 times higher than is proposed by the present invention:                “Device: Laser+ICG        ICG arm—will be defined as local application on a pledget soaked with ICG with a concentration of 200 μg, upon removal of the pledget a NIR diode laser set at 6 W with light emittance introduced intranasally with a 30 mm diffuser fiber capable of radiating light circumferentially allowing the light energy to reach all treatable areas. Laser will be activated for 180 seconds. Assuming an approximate radius of the nasal cavity is 3 mm, energy density will be around 200 J/cm2. Treatment will be repeated twice, 5-7 day apart. Cultures will be collected at the end of all treatments.”        
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization, brief exposure to UV radiation, about 5-15 minutes twice a week, is beneficial in helping the body produce vitamin D. However, the amount of exposure needed depends on several factors, including skin type, location, the time of day, and the time of year. FIG. 1 shows dark areas indicating high annual levels of UV exposure and relatively lighter areas indicating lower annual atmospheric levels of UV exposure. With large portions of the population spending increasing amount of time indoors, especially in the North and Northeast portions of the United States, and with increasing societal concerns about direct exposure to daylight, it is evident that a substantial number of Americans do not receive an equivalent amount of UV light as the rest of the world.
The amount of UV radiation emitted from the sun varies based on the time of year, time of day, location on earth, and weather conditions, among other factors. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency publishes a UV index scale from 1-11 with one unit equivalent to 0.025 microwatts/mm^2. Considering the mean UV Index value is 5.5 or 0.1375 microwatts/mm^2, five minutes of exposure equates to 41.25 microjoules/mm^2 and fifteen minutes of exposure equates to 123.75 microjoules/mm^2.
In 2006, The World Health Organization published “Solar Ultraviolet Radiation,” Environmental Burden of Disease Series, No. 13, Lucas, et al. which discloses that “Ultraviolet radiation is ubiquitous. Almost everyone has some exposure to ultraviolet radiation on a daily basis. It is an exposure we cannot entirely avoid and, anyway, to strive for zero exposure would create a huge burden of skeletal disease from vitamin D deficiency.” Further, in “Sunlight ‘D’ilemma: risk of skin cancer or bone disease and muscle weakness,” Lancet, 2001; 357:4-6, Holick et al. estimate that exposure of the whole body in a bathing suit to one minimal erythemal dose (“MED”) is equivalent to ingesting 10,000 IU of vitamin D wherein one MED is the dose of ultraviolet radiation (“UVR”) required to produce a barely perceptible erythema in people with skin type 1, fair-skinned Caucasians who burn very easily and never tan (approximately 200 J/m^2 or 200 microjoules/mm^2 of biologically effective UVR). The MED for skin type V, Asian or Indian skin, is approximately 458 microjoules/mm^2.
In addition to known health benefits, in some instances, UV light may be able to kill and/or at least partially disable pathogens, germs, molds, bacteria, and/or viruses. The human immune system is well-suited to identify damaged, sterilized, and/or dead cells and remove them. However, certain viruses have the ability to cloak their presence making it difficult for the immune system to attack them. One such class of viruses may be those responsible for the common cold. Research has failed to conclusively demonstrate that products such as Airborne™ or high-dose zinc prevent or treat adult colds. Further, vaccines for the common cold are generally not practical because over 200 viruses cause the common cold and decongestants such as nasal or oral pseudoephedrine only treat symptoms, not the disease.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a safe system and method for treating various diseases and allergies that plague the human population, in particular diseases and allergies that enter through various bodily orifices such as the nasal, oral, and/or aural cavities.
It will be appreciated that for purposes of clarity and where deemed appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated in the figures to indicate corresponding features.